3) GDP deflator. Many analysts suspect that China’s statistics bureau tinkers with the politically sensitive real GDP growth figure to ensure it meets the government target. The main tool for such tinkering is thought to be theGDP deflator, the broad measure of price changes used to convert between nominal and inflation-adjusted growth.

When the GDP deflator diverges sharply from more familiar measures of inflation, such as the consumer and producer price indices, suspicion of manipulation rises. The deflator was -0.73 per cent in the fourth quarter, the lowest since 2009. Both CPI and PPI ticked up in the first quarter, so if the deflator sinks further or even remains flat, it will be viewed as a sign of tinkering.